Indirect lighting system



May 26-, 1942.

A. GANGBIN INDIRECT LIGHTING SYSTEM Filed July 1, 1940 I INVENTOR flrlbur Gang]: in BY ATTORNEYS Patented my 26, 1942 2,2si,194 INDIRECTLIGHTING SYSTEM Arthur Gangbin, Madera, Calif., assignor of fifty percent to lrol G. Gangbin, Fresno, Calif Application July. 1, 1940, SerialNo. 343,450

4 Claims. (01. 240-9) This invention relates in general to an improvedindirect lighting system, and includes the subject matter divided out ofmy copending application'on Ceiling construction and method of layingout same, Ser. No. 273,917, filed May 16, 1939.

In particular the invention is directed to, and it is my principalobject to provide, an improved indirect fighting system which includes afanciful cove or molding having light sources arranged therewith toproduce unique, modemistic and variable lighting effects.

Another object of the invention isto provide an indirect lighting systemwhich, when in operation, causes no glare, but rather a soft, pleasingand diffused light, which does not cause any appreciable shadows in the\area illuminated; and in which the light sources are entirely invisible.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a fanciful cove ormolding having air flow parts, or vents of an air conditioning systemincluded therein and which vents cannot be seen from below.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yetone,

which will be exceedingly effective for pose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement'of parts as will fully appearby a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of reference the pur- 7 indicatecorresponding .parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the fanciful cove or moldingmounted in place and including the light sources.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing the cove portionwhich includes the air vents.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawing, and at present to Fig. 1; the fanciful cove which I embody inmy improved indirect lighting system is mounted horizontally in thecorner between a ceiling l and side wall 2, or in a similar position inother structures; the cove in the present instance being shown, forclarity, as preformed sheet-metal but obviously may be of plaster andlath or othervconstruction ifdesired;

' This cove, on the under; surface, presents mainly a plurality ofcurved surfacesfwhich' in clude a concave-convex portion 3 extendingupwardly' and laterally outwardly from the wall 2 some distance belowthe ceiling A horizontal, upwardly opening trough 4 of substantiallysemi-1 circular configuration in cross-section is' disposed inwardly ofand flush with the upper end of portion 3.

A relatively wide, concave reflecting surface 5,

mainly formed on the radius of acircle of. relatively great diameter,extends from the inner edge of trough in a laterally outwarddirectionand at a slight upward angle from said edge. From the outer end ofsurface 5, the cove extends convexly upwardly as at 6, and such curvedsections shields another upwardly opening trough I disposed therebehlnd.I

Another relatively wide, concave reflecting surface 8, formed anddisposed in substantially the same relative position as surface 5,extends from the inner-edge of trough 1, although of,

course in a vertically elevated plane relativeto said surface 5; theouter edge of surface 8 terminating at the ceiling.

Substantially centrally of its inner and outer edges, the reflectingsurface 5 is formed with a longitudinal slot 9 of substantialwidthfwhich opens. intoan inverted, enclosed and relatively deep,channel It; the cove being formed to provide a downwardly facing concavereflecting ceillng II in said channel. The ceiling ll extends laterallysome distance beyond the slot 9 and there merges, into thelopposed edgesof a pair of upwardly facing troughs l2 which extend on opposite sidesof and parallel to slot 9 but slightly above the plane thereof;exteriorly convex pop-- tions l3 extending between adjacent edges oftroughs I2 and adjacent edges of the slot 9 whereby to shield saidtroughs from sight and to form said slot as what may be termed a throat.

' The troughs 4, I and I2 are'each flttedwith a longitudinally extendingneon tube or similar source ofartificiallight; sail light sources beingidentified as l4, l5 and I6 respectively. At spaced points in thelength'thereof, the cove is supported by brackets B which atone edgeconform to said cove and at their other edges are connected with theceiling and wall members.

Such brackets may be formed by the method de-' scribed in my copendingapplication identified hereinbefore. e

As installed for use, all of, the reflecting surfaces are painted orotherwise finished white,

and the neon tube is of one color, preferably green, while the tubes l6are of another color, preferably red; Tube. 15 is of a color different ifrom that of tube .M, and maybe red, as are tubes It. The tubes l4; l5and .IG are wiredso' that they may be illuminated independently of eachother whereby varied lighting effects may be obtained, as willhereinafter appear.

When all or the tubes are'illuininated, tube ll casts its colored lightrays directly onto reflectin fleeting from ceiling ll back into throat 9causing the unique effect of a colored band of light V l laterallyoffset-relative to the latter. other means length ofreflectingwsurfaceI. This surface, 1

emanating: from -throat! and extending the full however, is reflecting adifferent color, which thus appears in the form of two separatedbands asslot 8 is disposed centrally of the edges of said Having thus claim asnew an Letters Patent is:

1. man indirect lighting system for building usefuland desire to secureby 6 structures, an upwardly opening'relatively long surface 5 on bothsides of slot or throat 8; the diflerentcolor'of thelight rays formtubes l6 recove trough, a light source in and extending along saidtrough, means forming a longitudinal transversely concave reflectingsurface in the building structure above said trough and mainly formingan invertedlongitudinal channel opening from above'through said surfaceintermedifate the edges thereof laterallybffsetrelatlve to .the troughand extending substantially forthe 1 dffcribed my inventionrwhat 1'surface 5. Thelight rays from tube ll' reflect from surface 8 and alsoproduce, another colored band. l V I 2.} an indirect lighting system, anupwardly A considerably varied effect ishad if tubes l6ii'openingfrelativelyplong trough, a light source in are. shut ed, theeffect to the eye then being 1 the trough, means forming a longitudinaltranslength of the trough, and a separate light source ;in andextendingalong said inverted channel.

7 that the colored bands reflecting from surface 5 '20 versely concavereflecting surface have the as set forth herein. a

are then separatedbylan unlighted strip, as no substantial amount oflight from tube H can reflectfrom ceiling il. 7 l 4 Astill furthereffect can be obtained by shut ting of! tube 1 l4 leaving }only tubes I5 and I6 illuminated. In this instance a red band appears through throat9 and surface 8 is illumi-- natedwith alike color, theportion of surface5 between throat 9 and the convex portion 6 of the cove then standingout in dark bold relief .and go v Referring particularly now to Fig. 2of the drawing, the bottom ofchannels I: may be formed witha series ofair vents V whereby air maybe drawn from the area beneath the covethrough threat 9 into'channelsili and troughs II from whence the airthen flows through vents V to the interior of'the cove, and which maybeconnectedwith the suction side of an air conditioning systemin anysuitable-manner. The.

advantage of such vent arrangement resides in the fact that'the'ventscannot be seen from-below I the cove, and do not detract from-theindirect lighting effects; and the channels I 2 are i'nherently locatedwhere the heated air in the room below will naturally tend to flow. Fromthe foregoing description it will be readily seen that Ihave producedsucha system as substantially fulflllsth'e objects f the invention Whilethis specification sets to in seam the present and preferredconstruction f the system,

still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to 'donot forma defrom the spirit of the invention, as de flned by theappended claims. 1

6 troughs.

trough and mainly laterally: offset therefrom, other means :forming aninverted longitudinal channel having an opening through said surfacefrom: above; and. intermediate theedges thereof 5 and extendingfor thelength of the tfough,"lan

upwardly opening trough insaid channel, and v another light sourcedisposed in .said channel trough, said inverted channel havingareflecting ceilins th na r a 3. In an indirect'lightingsystem,-anupwardly opening relatively long trough, a light source in"the trough, means. forming a longitudinaltransversely concavereflecting surface above the trough and mainly laterallyofl'setitherefrom,

othermeans formingan inverted longitudinal channel'having an openingthroughsaid surface from above and intermediate the edges thereof andextending for, the length, ofthe trough, the internal width of saidchannel above the channel 40 opening being substantially greater thanthe' width of said opening, an upwardly openin trough on" said side ofsaid opening,f and a separate light source. in said channel trough 4. Inan: indirect lighting system; an upwardly 5 opening relatively longtrough, a'lightsourcein the trough, means forming a longitudinal,tra'nsl versely concave reflecting surface above: the

trough and 7 mainly laterally n offset therefrom,

other means forming an inverted longitudinal channel having an openingthrough ,said surface 1 from above and intermediate the edges thereofand extending for the length of the trough,the internal width of saidchannel above the channel opening being 1 substantially greater than thewidth of said opening, an :upwardly, opening trough on each side of saidopening, and a separate light source in said channel troughs. the rchannel having a transversely concave reflecting ceiling therein aboveand extending betweensaid ARTHUR cam/any.

